Introduction to Hydroponics



Introduction to Hydroponics

Hydroponics by definition, means 'water-working." In practical use, it means growing plants in a water and nutrient solution, without soil. Hydroponics allows a gardener to grow plants in a more efficient and productive manner with less labor and time required.

The science of hydroponics proves that soil isn't required for plant growth but the elements, minerals and nutrients that soil contains are. Soil is simply the holder of the nutrients, a place where the plant roots traditionally live and a base of support for the plant structure.

In hydroponics you provide the exact nutrients your plants need, so they can develop and grow. The nutrients are fed directly at the root base, never stressing the plant due to lack of nutrients or water.

Virtually any plant will grow hydroponically, but some will do better than others. Hydroponic growing is ideal for fruit bearing crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, leafy crops, like lettuce and herbs and flowing plants. Most hobby hydroponic gardeners plant crops similar to what they would grow in a soil garden

|Most commercial hydroponic growers combine hydroponic technology with a controlled environment to achieve the highest |[pic] |

|quality produce. Within a green- house structure you can control the ambient temperature, humidity and light levels | |

|allowing you to grow on a year- round basis. | |

Advantages of Hydroponic Growing

There are many advantages of hydroponic growing.

These include

|[p|Most hobby hydroponic gardens are less work than soil gardens because you do not have soil to till or weeds to pull. |

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|[p|By eliminating the soil in a garden, you eliminate all soil borne disease |

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|[p|A hydroponic garden uses a fraction of the water that a soil garden does because no water is wasted or consumed by weeds. |

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|[p|In hydroponics, plant spacing can be intensive, allowing you to grow more plants in a given space than soil grown produce. |

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|[p|A small hydroponic garden can be set up almost anywhere. |

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|[p|By providing the exact nutrients your plants need, they will grow more rapidly and produce bigger yields. |

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|[p|In studies it has been proven that hydroponic produce is higher in nutritional value than field grown crops. |

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|[p|Hydroponic produce generally tastes better than field-grown produce. |

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|[p|If you are growing indoors or in a greenhouse, you can grow your hydroponic plants on a year-round basis. |

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Four Primary Hydroponic Growing Methods:

In a soil garden, plants are rooted in the soil and draw nutrients from it. In hydroponics, a nutrient rich solution 

is fed directly to the plant roots. In some hydroponic growing systems an inert growing medium, such as perlite, rockwool or expanded clay pebbles is used in place of soil. These growing mediums are porous and absorb the nutrient solution, allowing the plants to use it as needed.

In other hydroponic systems, like the NFT system, no growing medium is used and the plant roots are suspended

in a grow channel.

The four most common methods of hydroponic gardening include:

|[p|Ebb and Flow |

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|[p|Drip Method |

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|[p|Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) |

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|[p|Passive System   |

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Ebb and Flow

The Ebb and Flow (also know as flood and drain) method of hydroponic gardening simply allows all the plants in the garden to be fed the same amount of nutrient solution at the same time.

|The  plant  grow  bed,  which contains  plant pots  filled with a growing medium, is flooded with the nutrient solution for |[pic] |

|a set period of time and then allowed to drain for a  set period  of time. This  allows  the growing  medium and plant roots|HydroRon's 11 Plant  |

|to stay moist  while bringing  fresh oxygen  to the  root base each time the nutrient solution drains away. |Ebb and Flow Garden |

 Most Ebb and Flow systems will flood the grow bed for 10 or 15 minutes of every hour or two In an Ebb and Flow system, the plant roots are most commonly grown in a medium of perlite, rockwool or expanded clay pebbles.

An Ebb and Flow system, popular with many home hydroponic gardeners, is ideal for growing a broad variety of crops since both long and short term crops do well in this system.

Drip

In a Drip system, the nutrient solution is delivered to the plants through drip emitters on a timed system. The timed cycle flushes the growing medium, providing the plants with fresh nutrients, water and oxygen as the emitter is dripping.

|The emitters are usually scheduled to run for approximately 5-10 minutes of every hour.  In a drip system, the plant roots |[pic] |

|are most commonly grown in a medium of perlite, grow rocks or rockwool. The  drip system  is often  used  in  |Gallon Drip System |

|commercial hydroponic  facilities  that  grow long  term crops  like tomatoes,  cucumbers  and peppers. | |

NFT

With the Nutrient Film Technique (also known as NFT) the plants are grown in 

channels which the nutrient solution is pumped through.The plant roots are flooded by the nutrient solution as it passes by. Ideally, the bottom of the roots are exposed to the nutrient solution, while the top of the roots are exposed to air. Most NFT systems are fed on a very frequent timed cycle. For instance, 10 minutes of nutrient solution flow, followed by 5 minutes of nutrient solution drain. Since the plant roots are not in a growing medium, it is crucial that they are flushed often to keep them moist.

NFT is ideal for lettuces, leafy crops and herbs, all of which are short term crops. Larger NFT channels can be used long term crops as long as some form of plant support is provided..

Passive

The advantage of a Passive hydroponic garden is its low maintenance. A Passive system does not use pumps or timers to flood the root zone. The roots usually dangle in the nutrient solution and draw what they need from it. A Passive system is generally slower growing and not as intensive as the other systems discussed.

Because there is no water movement, passive systems will often have low oxygen levels. this can be remedied by adding a small air pump that pumps air into the nutrient reservoir.

Four Primary Hydroponic Growing Methods

|[pic] | Ebb and Flow |

| |  |

| |Plant pots filled with growing medium |

| |The nutrient solution is pumped from the reservoir up into the garden for a given period of |

| |time, the growing medium absorbs the nutrient solution, and then the nutrient solution is |

| |allowed to drain away. |

|[pic] |Drip System |The nutrient solution is dripped onto the growing medium on|

| | |a timed basis providing the plants with fresh water, |

| | |nutrients and oxygen. |

| |Rockwool Cube | |

| | | |

| |Drip Line | |

| |to nutrient reservior | |

|[pic] |NFT |The plant roots develop in the grow |

|in from nutrient reservoir                               |[pic] |channel. The top of the roots are |

| |    Side view of grow channel |exposed to air. The bottom of the |

| | |roots are exposed to the nutrient |

| | |solution. |

|[pic] | Passive System | Although nearly maintenance free, most passive systems will have |

| |  |slower growth and development since there is no fresh oxygen brought |

| | |into the root base. |

| | | |

| |Stagnant Nutrient Reservoir | |

Hydroponics Homework / Review

    Name:                                   Date:________________

1. What is the literal definition of hydroponics?    _______________________________________________________

 2. In practical use, hydroponics means:  ______________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                             

3. List three advantages of growing hydroponically

          (1)_________________________________

        (2)_________________________________

          (3)_________________________________

4. The four primary methods of hydroponic growing are:

          (1)_________________________________

          (2)_________________________________

          (3)_________________________________

          (4)_________________________________

5. NFT is ideal for growing short term crops like lettuce and herbs. True / False

6. Most commercial hydroponic growers use a passive system to grow their crops. True / False

7. The Ebb and Flow method is also know as the Flood and Drain method. True / False

8. In many hydroponic systems, a growing medium is used in place of soil. True / False

9. A growing medium should not be porous. True / False

10. Three commonly used growing mediums are:

(1)_________________________________

         

 (2)_________________________________

 (3)_________________________________

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